Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

What have I started?

Are they seriously trying to push Spencer and Evelyn together after making a mess of them before? Perhaps mess is the wrong word but at the time it seemed like someone wanted them together then changed their mind.

Really wasn't happy about Sasha telling Matt about what happened with Spencer but he was a lot better than I thought he would be. I'm still glad Spencer decked him though.

I do find Leah quite funny when she's like that (when she has a go at VJ) but she slightly annoyed me the way she was with Zak but I guess we all saw that coming.

[Angelica]

Even though Matt and Sasha made up, I can't seem them lasting much longer. Matt may have tried to preempt the breakup, but I think all his worries about the relationship are valid. Sasha and Matt may have good chemistry, but they are always fundamentally (and I think irreconcilably) different and once they leave the cocoon of school, this will become more apparent. Once Sasha is surrounded by similar minded people, I can't see her staying with Matt who has a lot of growing up still to do.

I too hope they do not go down the Spencer/Evie route. I found Evie at her most unlikeable around Spencer, in the way she was constantly rude to him when he was showing his interest in her. I also think Spencer is a bit of a vanilla character - I think pairing him off with someone else who is quite reserved would just compound that issue. I am starting to warm to Evie, but that I think is mainly because she is having scenes in the last week which aren't centered around her love life.

[Red Ranger 1]

Leah continued to annoy me in the first half of the episode, as she went into sucking wasps mode and gave Zac the brush off.Even Irene and Roo realised that her "You're not a parent, you're just some man that lives with us" policy was unworkable.At least she backed down eventually, even if it was only because she needed Zac's back up.I keep forgetting what year Jett and VJ are in, I didn't realise they were that close to starting their HSC.They could well end up sharing classes with any of the current Year 11s that get kept down next season.VJ dropping out of school fills me with dread, it feels like someone's realised that Matt Little as a schoolboy isn't working and instead of selecting an actor who fits the role they're changing the character to fit the actor.Maybe I'm wrong and he will stay at school, I hope so.Loved Jett snitching John and Marilyn to each other when they both tried to funnel him down their preferred subjects but it still leaves him with some difficult chances.

I am still finding Ash more interesting than Brax's storyline.Maybe it's because it involves characters I'm not that invested in but it seems like we're just getting the same scenes of Brax getting violent and aggressive and Ash telling him to talk to people.Even his chat with Ricky felt like nothing new, it's only a few months since he was last fretting that he would be a violent father.

Maddy's storyline is going exactly how I hoped it would, so I'm pleased about that.Both she and Josh are showing a commendable amount of maturity: They're committed to parenthood but also scared stiff and know it's not going to be easy, especially when their own parents didn't exactly give them a good example to draw on.It's an awkward situation but they're handling it as best as you could hope for, and I do think Maddy's sincere about being prepared to do it on her own if Josh isn't up to it.I'm glad Alf took it in his stride, possibly with a flashback to 25+ years ago when Roo was telling him the same thing; hopefully the days of him being more stick than carrot with Maddy are at an end.Although it seemed inevitable, I wasn't looking forward to Andy getting involved, so I'm glad it didn't go further than him saying the wrong thing and then walking away.I wasn't keen on Brax having any input either, fortunately he seems occupied with his prison flashbacks.I'll accept Ricky; Josh needs someone to talk to and she's the best option he's got.

[Brian]

I don't have the time to write the long posts that you 3 do, but I enjoy reading them. Glad you have made it up, Red and Slade. We need differing opinions to keep these discussions interesting.

Glad to see more Josh/Maddy interaction today - bodes well for the future and Josh asking Rikki for advice. Hope that Roo calms down a bit and is really there supporting them both. Be interesting to see how their relationship developes.

When will Brax get over prison? Poor Rikki having to put up with that - wanting to help him, but can't. Hope Ash can sort him out.

[Slade]

After watching the scenes with Maddy and Josh today, to me it's obvious that Maddy is still in love with him. It was just something about the way she was looking at him and when she hugged him. And also when she offered him a get out of jail card. I'm assuming she was bluffing but wanted validation that he was in it for the long haul. She won't admit it but she must be secretly over the moon that Evelyn finished with him and she's got Josh all to herself now. I actually felt she was purposely holding back almost because she felt it was too good to be true and she didn't want to rock the boat or rush things to risk scaring him off. Alf should really make up his mind. He berated Maddy originally for sleeping with Josh and blamed Josh for getting her pregnant. He seems to have forgotten to concept of it takes two. Andy really made me laugh with his what a stuff up line. Wasn't particularly tactful but it's the truth and it's worth saying that to Josh just to get him to understand what he's going to be taking on. Red Ranger just going back to the point you made about the media trying to portray Maddy as a bad girl, it doesn't really work like that for me (maybe because of her angelic features) but let's assume that's true do you think this pregnancy storyline is an attempt to pacify her?

Leah did my head in for most of that episode. She was either sulking or moaning again although she was a lot better towards the end.

It was a serious scene but when Brax was telling Ricky about jail, I found her facial expression really funny. She literally looked like she wanted to throw up.

[Red Ranger 1]

Red Ranger just going back to the point you made about the media trying to portray Maddy as a bad girl, it doesn't really work like that for me (maybe because of her angelic features) but let's assume that's true do you think this pregnancy storyline is an attempt to pacify her?

I doubt there's been any time to respond to a media or fan backlash, this stuff was likely filmed long beforehand.I imagine it's a case that Maddy was deliberately written unsympathetically in the last few months, partly so the audience would side with Josh and Evelyn, and this storyline is placed afterwards to make the audience sympathise with her again.

[CaptainHulk]

Why do I have the feeling the Maddy/Josh thing will end in tragedy in a similar measure to Todd/Phoebe on Neighbours some 20-odd years ago?

[Slade]

Oh dear. Maddy's smitten whilst Josh is still hung up over Evie. Her text to him asking him to hang out then getting him to go to the hospital I assume was an excuse to spend time with him. This is all going to end in tears. After seeing Josh's reaction after asking Hannah about Evelyn and listening to Oscar she's obviously playing a smart game by once again offering him a way out so he spends time with her out of choice (Most people will automatically resist when pressurised into doing something they do not normally want to do). I'm assuming she's playing a long game and over time will hope that Josh's feelings for her will change when they bond over the baby. Not particularly sure that's a good mindset as she probably should be focusing on the baby.

I had to laugh at Oscar chasing after Maddy and trying to spend time with her, obviously still head over heels and telling her she can't make someone fall in love with her...oh the irony!

Felt really sorry for Sophie. Although I really like her I haven''t really had much sympathy for her over the last few weeks but did feel really bad for her. So Nate finally had the backbone to tell her he was leaving. I'm not sure if it would have made any difference to Sophie taking an overdose telling her now or months ago but I hope he's proud of himself. She needs help though.

[Red Ranger 1]

I was cringing a bit at some of Maddy's actions. I was hoping after her conversation with Josh on the bridge that she'd accepted they're not a couple but her expression during the montage suggests otherwise.I do feel sorry for Oscar, who's been a good friend to her and now seems to have slipped down her order of priorities, and he was right to challenge her, even though he's arguably doing the same with her as she is with Josh.I do think that it shows that, while Evelyn breaking up with Josh might have simplified things for her, it's arguably complicated matters for Josh and Maddy:If Evelyn was Josh's girlfriend and Maddy was just the girl he was having a baby with, the roles would be more defined than this awkward nebulous situation where they're having a baby and there's no-one else involved but they're not a couple but there's residual feelings on her side and maybe a few on his even though she's not the person he wants to be with.(I think, before the pregnancy, Maddy had accepted they weren't getting back together, judging from her chat with Evelyn on the wharf.)How did Josh end up with that picture of Evelyn, which he submitted to Sophie as Evelyn's work?I suspect the pregnancy will now be common knowledge, although Hannah's got reason to know about it.

I've been meaning to ask for a couple of days:Is Sophie still school principal or not?She was nowhere in sight when Spencer made his PA announcement and yesterday Zac was taking the HSC meeting as if he was in charge.If Nate's back at work, you'd expect her to be as well, but she was acting like a lady of leisure today.I can't say I really felt sorry for her, she's been delaying the inevitable for a while, but I do think Nate's messed her about, he should never have got back with her in the first place: Frankly he just seemed to be using her at first and then he moved in together because he felt sorry for her when she had her appendix out.

Ash gets some more good moments and I'm glad that Ricky's got over her paranoia and recognised that he's the best person to help Brax.

[H&Alover]

Hey, thought I'd started with the standard H&A greeting. Andy could have expressed himself better when Josh told him the news, but I reckon he'll be there for him. I suppose now Alf knows Maddy and Josh can let others know about the baby, is she going to tell her own mum at any time in the near future? Alf seemed quite blasé about the news, but I feel there's more to come. Her get out of jail card was double edged, Josh was hardly likely to turn round and say OK was he? The look on Maddy's face when they were looking at her laptop said it all, Oscar would be the one to know about making someone love you.

Talking of making someone love you, maybe Sophie should take lessons from her pupils, she knows Nate doesn't love her anymore, but is hanging on for dear life and doing neither of them any good. Nate's talk with Ricky seemed a bit random, but it did focus his mind at least, yes he did tell before, but she didn't want to listen. Ooh there was a mention of him recovering from his life threatening experience, fit enough to work and kayak, but not fit enough to have sex with his wife, big clue there Sophie! Good thought that Red, she has seemed conspicuous by her absence as Principal, Bianca Mark II.

VJ's decision to quit school was rather sudden, but how many other kids have threatened that one, her insisting yes he will isn't going to work, what's she going to do, drag him there and sit by him all day! She had to eat humble pie (from the Diner perhaps) and enlist Zac's help who had already been approached by VJ to argue his case for leaving. I thought Zac's idea was a good one, maybe after thinking about it it's something VJ will do.

On the other side of the coin we have Jett who's trying to decide what courses to take and getting annoyed about John and Marilyn deciding for him, no wonder he lost it at them both! It's he who will doing whatever it is and if he's not interested in the course he's not going to put as much effort into it as he would if he likes what he doing and I suppose he can change if he finds it's not for him.

The beach seems the place to stay when things go wrong for the Braxtons, if it wasn't Casey it was Heath now Brax. Now Ricky and Ash have had their talk both know more about Brax's history. What happened to Brax inside was down to the environment, you either keep your head down and do your time or fight your corner. Brax was used to being top dog on the outside but inside there was probably already one and as his rep had more than likely gone before him he had to prove himself. Ash who can certainly pull the ladies has just got back now he's off again this time with Brax leaving Kyle in charge again.